BILLS family:
Frederick and Mary Ann Bills arrived in Wellington on 17th February 1842 with baby James Richard Bills on the Clifton from London.  Frederick can be found on the Burgess Roll 1842 residing at Wellington Beach, and subsequently on Elector Rolls at Tinakori Rd.  The Burial Register for St Pauls Church Molesworth St Thorndon shows that he died in 1865 aged 51 from drowning.  Son James Richard married Louisa Key, who had emigrated at age 13 from London to Wellington with her parents Thomas and Jane Key and six siblings on the Oliver Lang in 1856.   The electoral rolls show that her family also lived in Tinakori Rd Wellington, where they presumably met. If you have a connection with this family or would like to know more please contact  J Featherston who is the 3^rd Great Granddaughter of Frederick and Mary Ann Bills & of Thomas and Jane Key.

WITT family:
Henry Witt of Vauxhall Street, South Lambeth and Eliza Winkworth of St Margaret, Westminster, were married on Saturday September 25th 1841 in the very old St Mary's Church, Lambeth. (St Catherines 4/310). The witness's at the wedding were B. Witt (Benjamin) and Deborah Witt, brother and sister of Henry. Henry 20 and Eliza 19 married on Saturday just four days after their application to emigrated to NZ and emigrated just days after their wedding.  In Wellington both worked to make a new life for themselves. Verbal history states that the children were born in the Pipitea Pa, Wellington, and that they were looked after by the Maori women in the pa while both parents worked. Was this Wellington's first child care? The children grew up speaking fluent Maori. Henry died in Wellington when their youngest child, Robert Henry, was 5 years old. Their children were Deborah (Tricker), Thomas, (married Emma Robinson), Jane (married Robinson), Eliza (married Hewitt) & Robert Henry (married Cecilia Eyles). Benjamin WITT (Henry's brother) was a 30 year old carpenter when he came to NZ on the Clifton. On the Jury lists of February 14th 1844 and February 8th 1845 Benjamin was living at Thorndon Flat, and working as a Carpenter (NZ Spectator & Cooks Straits Guardian Jury list). He worked in Wellington until about 1846 when he moved to Auckland and married Maryanne Brooks who had arrived in Wellington on board the Martha Ridgeway. From Auckland they went to Sydney for a number of years and then returned to New Zealand in the early 1860's. Their children were Benjamin Robert, Alice, George, James, Robert Henry, Thomas William and Henry Monday. Further details can be obtained from Glenda Rattray.  A book named WITT - Wiltshire to Wellington about the WITT family will be completed in 2003. For further information on this book please email as above. 

GRAY family:
Benjamin Gray & his wife Emma Julian came to NZ from Kettering, Northamptonshire.  Their daughter, Rebecca Annie Gray was born 14 Apr 1859 in Otaki.   She married Thomas Sutton from Banbury, Oxford, England, in 1876 in Palmerston North. If you have a connection with this family or would like to learn more please contact Gary & Breda Anderson